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Extra screen time 'cuts GCSE grades', but we aren't sure why

Teens who spend more time looking at screens will do worse in their GCSEs, according to a study from the University of Cambridge. But one expert has responded critically, saying that no definitive link has been proven.

The study looked at how 845 pupils in Year 10 used their time outside of school hours and allotted homework time. Students were tracked with digital devices, and reported their own activities. Those who spent an extra hour or two reading or doing homework fared better than those who spent the time on screens. Those students that spent over four hours studying outside of the allotted time did worse than might have been expected.

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For every hour of spare time spent interacting with screens per day at the age of 14.5 years, according to the Cambridge research, the equivalent of a single GCSE grade drop in two subjects was recorded when the students were 16. An extra two hours saw an equivalent of a grade drop in four subjects.

More time watching screens impacted on results, even if the students also spent more time studying. "Spending more time in front of a screen appears to be linked to a poorer performance at GCSE," said Dr. Kristen Corder, the lead author of the study. The study said that the results held even when controlling for differences in physical activity -- which has previously, but not conclusively been linked to academic improvements -- and the amount of homework completed.

Other experts say that the research is not conclusive, however. "This study does not definitively show anything," Mark Griffiths, an expert in online excess and professor at Nottingham Trent University, tells WIRED. “It’s basically common sense. I don't think it really tells us anything we didn’t know."

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For Griffiths, the major drawback of this study is that is did not prove a causal link between the factors studied, but only demonstrated a correlation between screen time and results.

and a balanced educational diet, Griffiths thinks, that ultimately dictate the effects screen time might have on a teenager’s GCSE results.

For their part, the researchers also said that the study did not conclusively prove a link, but said they were reasonably confident ahead of planned further research. "We can cautiously infer that TV viewing may lead to lower GCSE results but we certainly can't be certain," said Dr Kirsten Corder to the BBC.